Archive · 6 Oct 2026
BJP Drops Sitting Rajya Sabha Members, Balances Uttar Pradesh Caste Representation
The BJP has chosen eight people to run for Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh.
It did not renominate any of its current members from the state, including ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and B.L. Verma.
The new group includes people from several caste communities.
The article says the choices may help the party prepare for next year’s state election.
Puri’s omission has also led to questions about whether he will remain a minister, though the article does not say he has left the government.
The BJP has enough elected lawmakers to win seven of the seats comfortably.
It needs votes from other lawmakers to win an eighth.
The Samajwadi Party has also announced two candidates and plans to name another.
The BJP announced eight Uttar Pradesh candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections, dropping all its sitting members from the state slate, including Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and junior minister B.L. Verma.
The candidates include two Brahmins, three OBCs, two Dalits and one Thakur, in a lineup described as an effort to balance caste representation ahead of next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Puri had acknowledged meeting Jeffrey Epstein but denied wrongdoing; opposition leaders had demanded his resignation after reports of their email exchanges.
The BJP has 288 MLAs in the 403-member Assembly and can comfortably elect seven candidates; securing its eighth would require eight additional votes.
The Samajwadi Party has fielded Dhanraj Nathwani and Ram Gopal Yadav, while party president Akhilesh Yadav said a third candidate would be announced soon.
- Who
- The BJP announced eight candidates; the Samajwadi Party has fielded Dhanraj Nathwani and Ram Gopal Yadav.
- What
- The parties are preparing for Rajya Sabha elections, with the BJP replacing all its sitting members from Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- The Rajya Sabha polls are scheduled for October 16; the article says Tuesday is the nomination filing deadline. Puri and Verma’s terms end on November 25.
- Where
- Uttar Pradesh, India.
- Why
- The BJP slate is described as an effort to balance caste representation and strengthen preparations for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election early next year.
BJP candidate’s allegation
Samajwadi Party’s position
Rajya Sabha ticket selection
BJP candidate’s allegation
BJP candidate Prakash Pal alleged that the Samajwadis took money in exchange for tickets and said Akhilesh Yadav’s claims of advancing backward castes and Dalits were a lie.
Samajwadi Party’s position
The article reports that Akhilesh Yadav selected Dhanraj Nathwani and Ram Gopal Yadav and said the party would announce a third candidate; it does not report a response to Pal’s allegation.
- BJP candidates announced
- Eight
- Rajya Sabha seats up for grabs
- 10
- Uttar Pradesh Assembly size
- 403 members
- BJP Assembly strength
- 288 MLAs
- Votes needed to be sure of a seat
- 37
- BJP slate by caste, as reported
- Two Brahmins, three OBCs, two Dalits and one Thakur
- Rajya Sabha poll date
- October 16
- Terms of Hardeep Singh Puri and B.L. Verma end
- November 25